Guam-bound United plane lands at wildlife refuge

Jul. 12, 2014
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A United Airlines 737. / File photo by Doug Lindley, AP

by Rick Jervis, USA TODAY

by Rick Jervis, USA TODAY

A United Airlines jet traveling from Honolulu to Guam was forced to land on the remote island of Midway because of a mechanical problem.

The airline on Friday flew the 335 passengers and 13 crew members from Flight 201 back to Honolulu. It put Guam-bound passengers on another flight to the U.S. territory, according to the airline.

The Boeing 777 was forced to divert to Midway on Thursday as it headed to Guam. Replacement aircraft brought passengers back to Honolulu on Friday morning.

The Navy used the atoll 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu as a base during the Cold War but left in 1996. It's now a national wildlife refuge home to more than 1 million seabirds, green sea turtles and endangered Hawaiian monk seals.

The island's residents manage the airstrip and wildlife refuge.

In another incident involving a Boeing 777, an American Airlines flight from London to Dallas-Fort Worth made an emergency landing in Tulsa on Friday night after experiencing mechanical troubles. Flight 79 was carrying 230 passengers and a crew of 14 when it landed at Tulsa International Airport around 6:30 p.m. Friday after reporting an issue with its left engine.